Muffins
by AuthorGenesis
Summary: Dinky gets some ponies to rescue her Mommy and new friendships form.


It was a lovely stormy morning in Ponyville, as bolts of lightning flashed across the sky, and some looked like they were aimed at the ground. Bolts of yellow, white and white-blue raced, as water poured from the clouds above heavily. There was so much rain falling that there were few ponies that were adventurous enough to venture outdoors for any reason. The market stalls were closed, as there would not be anypony that would want to do business in a deluge.

However, ponies still needed to get their mail sent and delivered, irregardless of the weather, scheduled by the weather ponies or no. Mail ponies had specially water repelling mailbags for days such as these, when they had to be out in the rain, no matter what.

One grey pegasus mailmare wore a basic light custard yellow poncho, with different fabric muffins sewn on it at irregular intervals by her little Muffin, Dinky. Sparkler had helped Dinky to waterproof the muffin decals, and even though it might not please other ponies, Derpy Hooves was inordinately proud of her beloved poncho.

Though, Derpy didn't smile as much on rainy days, since there were a lot less ponies out and about, even though she knew everypony on her route by name and face, even if she wasn't privy to all the minutia of their lives. Still, she took satisfaction in doing her job well, and how capable she was.

She'd just finished with delivering the last of her mail, when five male ponies surrounded her, not quite yet stallions, but neither colts either. Each sported a cruel smile. "So, the wall-eyed freak still lives among us. Your very existence is a mockery and shame to the entire pony race! What if what you have is contagious! Other ponies could catch your freaky eyes! Why don't you do us all a favor and kill yourself! No pony wants you! No pony likes you." The leader, a dark charcoal coated stallion with a silvery cropped top mane, and three diamond studs in his left ear spewed his hurtful propoganda, the others agreeing with him.

"No! T-that's not true! Ponies do like me! You're lying!"

The lead stallion hit her with his right hoof, making her see stars, and feeling her cheek start to swell.

"It's true! Rainbow Dash seemed eager enough to get rid of you, with all the damage you did to City Hall! And let's not forget all that furniture you dropped upon Princess Twilight. You're even a danger to yourself! Or did you forget the lightning that hit you when you were jumping up and down on a thundercloud!?" The leader sneered, and spat in her face. "I'm surprised that your daughter is even alive, and certainly that she isn't crippled in some way!"

Some distance away, a light violet unicorn filly saw what was happening and dashed off to the Golden Oaks Library.

{10 minutes later}

"Hey! Get away from her!" Applejack cried, bucking the leader in his sides, so that everypony assembled could hear the sickening crack as his ribs could not withstand the force of her buck.

The leader hobbled away, his lackeys following to make sure that he made it into Ponyville Hospital.

"Are you alright darling?" Rarity inquired, her eyes roaming over Derpy's poncho.

"Mommy!" Dinky cried, tearfully nuzzing her mother, and seeing the ugly purple bruise on her cheek.

"Oh goodness. We should really get some ice on your cheek. Come with me to my cottage, and I'll get some ice for your cheek." Fluttershy gently said, escorting the beaten mailmare to her cottage.

{Later at Fluttershy's Cottage}

Derpy gasped out in pain, as the biting cold of the ice, wrapped in a hoofkerchief was placed upon her cheek by Fluttershy.

Suddenly, Derpy started sobbing at the care and concern that these seven ponies were showing her.

"I hate my eyes!"

"Uh, why do you say that Derpy?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Because ponies assume I'm slow or mentally retarded just because my eyes are skewed! Plus it negatively affects my distance perception, which makes me extremely clumsy. Those stallion ponies even thought that they might get it because they didn't know whether or not it was contagious!" Derpy stomped a rear hoof in anger. "They even told me that you wanted to get rid of me, because of the damage that I'd done to City Hall, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Um, yeah; about that. I'm sorry if you saw it that way. I—I just don't know how to deal with you Derpy."

Derpy gave a sobbing laugh, fresh tears streaming down her face. "Treat me like any pony with a brain, and not some sort of retarded burden on society. I'm a pony, just like your friends. When hurtful things are said to me, my heart aches. When I am cut, I bleed the same red blood. When my friends succeed, I feel joy and happiness for them. Only my eyes are the obvious thing wrong with me. My mind, my heart is fully capable as any other pony."

"I love you, Mommy! You're the best Mommy for me!" Dinky cried, hugging her mother around her mother's barrel, ever mindful of her horn.

"I love you too, my precious Muffin." She leaned down, and placed a tender, loving kiss on her daughter's forehead, just above her horn.

"Hee hee! That tickles Mommy!" Dinky giggled.

Twilight Sparkle came and sat before Derpy. "I'd like to be your friend, Derpy." Her voice was soft-spoken, as she watched the tender moment of a mother and her daughter.

"I'd like that, Princess Twilight." Derpy replied, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"I—I'd like to be your friend as well. I-if that's alright with you." Fluttershy peeked at Derpy from behind her mane.

"I'm already friends with you, but I'll try to hang with you more often, Derpy!" Pinkie cheered, bouncing around Derpy, excitedly

"I'm busy until sundown, but if you want to hang out for a bit afterwards, feel free to drop by the farm." Applejack invited, inclining her head in a brief nod in her direction.

"Do feel free to drop by the Boutique after business hours, if you'd like pleasant company and elegant tea, Darling." Rarity offered.

"And I can train your body until you won't crash as much. But I gotta warn you, my regimen is tough, and not for the faint of heart!" Rainbow boastfully offered.

Derpy wiped her tears with her fetlocks, and genuinely smiled. "Yes! I'd like to be friends with all of you!"

"Hey! You know what we should totally do to inaugurate our friendship? Eat muffins at Sugarcube Corner!" Pinkie cheered.

"That's a great idea Pinkie! Come on girls, let us go!" Twilight cried excitedly, as friends both familiar and newly made followed the Princess of Friendship, to the cozy, cheerful atmosphere of Sugarcube Corner.

It would be a day to go down in Muffin History, as Sugarcube Corner's muffin sales rose 400% that day.


End file.
